Local News

Deputies plead for better wages, benefits

Deputy eligible for CHP+

A group of Morgan County deputies beseeched the Board of Morgan County Commissioners for better wages and benefits Tuesday, but whether that can happen may depend on county taxpayers.

A salary survey of surrounding counties and similar counties presented during this week's meeting of the board showed that the majority of the Morgan County Sheriff's Department deputies are paid less than their peers.

While deputies at the Morgan County Jail and dispatchers at the Morgan County Communications Center are paid similarly to people in the same positions in other counties, patrol deputies are not.

Deputy Kevin Campbell, acting as a spokesman for the deputies, said they are concerned about the wages and benefits they receive.

He said they were asking for equal pay as those who work around them.

Campbell noted it was a big temptation for deputies to leave for better jobs that pay as much as $15,000 more a year and offer better benefits.

Morgan County is constantly training new deputies as deputies leave for better prospects, he said.

In fact, due to turnover, the department has been short staffed for the past five years, Campbell said.

Not only is it costly to train new deputies, but the county loses the skill and experience of those who leave for better pay and benefits, he said.

Campbell made a plea for the county to invest in its deputies.

He said that he and others would like to make Morgan County their permanent homes, not a launching pad for a career elsewhere.

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Working as a deputy "is not a job ... it's a way of life," Campbell noted.

He straps on 30 pounds of gear each work day, and confronts the worst society does, such as child abuse, domestic violence, and deals with grisly situations such as car wrecks, he said.

Campbell said he believes that Morgan County deputies do "an outstanding job."

The residents of Morgan County are entitled to an excellent level of service from long-term deputies, he said.

"This level of service is their right," Campbell said.

Although Morgan County deputies' salaries and benefits may not be much behind some other counties, they are further behind city police officers in many cases, said Morgan County Commissioner Jim Zwetzig.

However, the county must have a sustainable level of revenue and spending, said Chairwoman Laura Teague.

The county cannot spend more than it has, and it would require more revenue to make pay and benefit increases, Zwetzig said.

Ultimately, it may come down to asking voters if they want county deputies to be paid better through an election, he said.

The county already faces revenue challenges.

This year, the cost of health insurance for employees went up by 10 percent, which amounted to another $150,000, Zwetzig noted. What's worse is that the county anticipates the insurance costs going up even further.

Morgan County is one of the few counties that still offers its employees full insurance benefits without asking for them to pay a portion of the cost, Teague noted.

However, that insurance does not help the deputies' families, Campbell noted.

Putting spouses and children on the county health insurance is cost prohibitive, he said.

One deputy explained that it would cost about $800 a month to add his family to the county insurance plan, which is not affordable under his income.

In looking at the Colorado Connection for Health website, he found out that he qualified for the state's CHP+ program, which is a subsidized form of insurance for those whose incomes are relatively low.

Teague said the county is still playing catch up after a pay freeze during the worst of the recession, but has made a commitment to bring employees' salaries back up.

But the county must stay within its budget limitations, she said.

The county has to look at how it can affordably meet its employees' needs, Zwetzig said.

Morgan County Commissioner Brian McCracken said the board truly appreciates all that the county deputies do for the community.

Dispatch upgrades

The board did not approve a contract with Motorola for the purchase of new dispatcher consoles for the Morgan County Communications Center.

While the consoles are needed in order to upgrade for the technology needed today, the contract had to be approved before the end of the year if the county was to receive the price that was quoted, said MCCC Director Danette Martin.

However, taking the contract before the beginning of the new year would have jeopardized the energy impact grant that the county is receiving through the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, she said.

Martin said she asked for an extension on the contract, but had not heard back from Motorola.

The county cannot afford to lose the grant just for the $18,000 in savings the contract would have offered, McCracken said.

Other

The board approved:

A memorandum of understanding with the Colorado Department of Corrections to share resources in the event of an emergency.

Teague's signature on a letter to the Natural Resources Conservation Service requesting federal assistance to restore damages sustained during September's flood.

A new tavern liquor license for Bruno's, which will be opening east of Barlow Road on Highway 34.

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